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#2 Shkodran Mustafi
With the regular skipper Laurent Koscielny still recovering from a serious injury he sustained last season, Shkodran Mustafi was expected to lead the defense alongside Sokratis Papastathopoulos, a summer signing from Borussia Dortmund.
However, the German international has endured a mixed start to the season so far. While his partner is slowly endearing himself to the fans with valiant and no-nonsense displays, Mustafi is making them nervous with his sluggish defending.
The German was exceptional against Cardiff City while in the other games, he wasn’t as effective. Perhaps his performances can be summed up with one moment in the game against Newcastle where his slip let Jacob Murphy through on goal only to be cleared out by Sokratis.
The German needs to step up or he may face the prospect of losing his starting spot to the returning Koscielny or the young Rob Holding.
